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“We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials…”
Many believers struggle with this. How can a rational Christian rejoice in suffering? Is this not denial of reality? The Word of God gives a clear answer.
> “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; and perseverance, character; and character, hope.
> Now hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit who was given to us.”
> — Romans 5:3–5 (NKJV)
And again:
> “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? …
> Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.
> For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
> — Romans 8:35–39 (NKJV)
The central theme is this:
The lyrics echo Romans 5:
> “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials…
> And this hope will not lead to disappointment…
> For we know how dearly God loves us, because he has given us the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with his love.”
This is not sentimental religion. It is a spiritual law:
Rightly responded-to suffering produces something in us that nothing else can produce.
Romans is Paul’s most systematic presentation of the gospel. Up to Romans 5, Paul has shown:
Immediately after stating that we “rejoice in hope of the glory of God” (5:2), Paul adds:
> “And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations…” (5:3)
Who is speaking? Paul, a man well acquainted with suffering:
Yet this same man says: “We glory in tribulations.”
In Romans 8, Paul continues. The context there is the conflict between the flesh and the Spirit, the groaning of creation, the sufferings of this present time, and the final revelation of the sons of God.
He builds toward a climax—if God has already:
then he asks:
> “If God is for us, who can be against us?” (Romans 8:31)
Then he confronts the hard realities: tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, sword. These are not theoretical. In Paul’s world, and in much of today’s world, these are normal Christian experiences.
So when the lyrics say:
> “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials…”
they are standing in the stream of apostolic faith. This is not the voice of a comfortable religion. It is the voice of the Spirit speaking to disciples who may suffer much, but lose nothing of eternal value.
To understand this message, we must examine two key Greek words: “tribulation” and “hope.”
### 1. “Tribulation” — *thlipsis* (θλῖψις)
Romans 5:3:
> “We also glory in tribulations…”
The Greek word is θλῖψις (*thlipsis*). It literally means:
It is used of grapes being squeezed so that juice comes out, or wheat being threshed. It implies confinement, squeezing, pressure from all sides.
So when Paul speaks of tribulation, he does not mean mild inconvenience. He means all forms of pressure—emotional, spiritual, physical, social, financial—that “squeeze” the believer.
In spiritual terms:
The lyrics say:
> “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials…”
“Problems and trials” translate the sense of *thlipsis*. The Spirit is teaching us:
The pressures we fear may be the very tools God uses to shape us.
### 2. “Hope” — *elpis* (ἐλπίς)
Romans 5:4–5:
> “…and character, hope. Now hope does not disappoint…”
The Greek word is ἐλπίς (*elpis*). It does not mean a vague wish, as in “I hope so.” It means:
This *elpis* is anchored not in circumstances, but in:
So when the lyrics proclaim:
> “And this hope will not lead to disappointment.”
they are declaring a spiritual fact:
Spirit-born hope, rooted in God’s love and promise, can never end in shame, regret, or ultimate loss.
This hope does not keep us from suffering; it keeps suffering from destroying us.
Let us now take the themes of the lyrics and set them alongside Scripture.
### A. “We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials…”
Paul uses almost the same language:
> “We also glory in tribulations…” (Romans 5:3)
The Greek word translated “glory” or “rejoice” is καυχάομαι (*kauchaomai*)—to boast, exult, or triumph.
There are three areas of rejoicing in Romans 5:
1. We rejoice in the hope of the glory of God (5:2).
2. We rejoice in tribulations (5:3).
3. Later, we rejoice in God Himself (5:11).
Most Christians accept the first. Few understand the second. Yet the second is the bridge to the third. If we learn to respond rightly to tribulation, it leads us into deeper fellowship with God Himself.
The same principle appears in James:
> “My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials,
> knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience.”
> — James 1:2–3
Notice: we are not told to *feel* joy. We are told to count it joy. That is an act of the will based on revelation.
Why? Because we know something.
### B. “For we know that they help us develop endurance.”
Romans 5:3 explains:
> “…knowing that tribulation produces perseverance…”
The word for “perseverance” is ὑπομονή (*hypomonē*). It means:
In the spiritual life, endurance is not optional. Jesus said:
> “He who endures to the end shall be saved.”
> — Matthew 24:13
Tribulation is the training ground in which God develops this endurance.
We must see this clearly:
If we become bitter, resentful, and unbelieving, tribulation will harden us, not strengthen us.
But if we respond in submission, thanksgiving, and trust, the same tribulation will purify us and strengthen us.
Peter says:
> “…though now for a little while, if need be, you have been grieved by various trials,
> that the genuineness of your faith, being much more precious than gold that perishes
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